School Shootings: NRA Ignores Reality

Thursday

Jan 10, 2013 at 12:26 AM

The National Rifle Association's response to the Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Conn., generated more heat than light. Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president, held a news conference Dec. 21. He pointed his finger at nearly every cause of mass shootings except for one — the proliferation of, access to and use of fast-shooting, high-capacity weapons.

The National Rifle Association's response to the Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Conn., generated more heat than light. Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president, held a news conference Dec. 21. He pointed his finger at nearly every cause of mass shootings except for one — the proliferation of, access to and use of fast-shooting, high-capacity weapons.

LaPierre repeatedly called for the deployment of "police officers" in every American school, as if it was a novel idea. He suggested volunteers or retired officers, although they are undesirable in most cases.

Any armed officer should be current on training and law, and be on the staff of the Sheriff's Office or a city police department.

LACK OF FUNDING

Polk County has 44 school resource officers in its middle schools and high schools. It spends about $2 million annually on the officers and an additional $1 million on school safety, reported The Ledger's Merissa Green in an article Tuesday. Per officer, the cost is about $45,450 annually.

While it once spent an additional $800,000 for unarmed guards, the School Board scrapped that program three years ago as a budget cut.

Nonetheless, Polk law-enforcement agencies are providing an excellent service by having officers make random visits to elementary schools. The visits started when school resumed Tuesday.

The Sheriff's Office and city police departments should be lauded for making this effort at no cost to the school system. Even so, the law-enforcement visits will not be permanent. They are too costly.

The School Board has announced that it will make cuts of between $16 million and $18 million for the 2013-2014 school year, Green reported Wednesday, to cover teacher and worker raises.

There is not enough money to keep up a full teaching staff, and there might not be enough money to maintain a seven-period day in high schools. A six-period day might be substituted. Education — in a School System already ranked 59th out of 67 by the Florida Department of Education — is likely to decline, never mind anti-violence efforts.

The School Board is limited in the amount of money it can raise. Most school funding comes from the state — approved and doled out by the Legislature, and signed off by Gov. Rick Scott.

Since Scott, a Republican, took office in 2011, he and the like-minded Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, have reduced education funding. They have talked of increases for the 2013-2014 fiscal year, but nothing on the order of the funding necessary for substantial educational improvement or additional security.

This is an opportunity for state Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, to make a difference not only in Polk County but across the state as the newly appointed chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee.

With an understanding of and family background in education — and as the House budget chief — McKeel should push for funding to both improve education broadly and to improve school safety.

ACCESS TO KILLING MACHINES

In his Dec. 21 talk, LaPierre ignored a primary problem: The killer could not have inflicted the carnage he did without a semi-automatic weapon and high-capacity magazines of bullets.

It took only minutes for the killer to fire 50 rounds to 100 rounds — slaughtering 20 first-graders, and six teachers and administrators who tried to protect them — before police arrived and he took his own life. Some of the victims had as many as 11 bullet wounds.

The attack should push President Barack Obama, Congress and the American people to reimpose a ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons — and strengthen the law to close loopholes and add a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines. Obama, with his appointment of Vice President Joe Biden to draw up such a plan, is on the right track.

The ban should include high-capacity, semi-automatic handguns, which have repeatedly been used in mass shootings, as well as assault rifles. It is necessary for the same reason that individuals aren't permitted to own machine guns, grenade launchers or heavy artillery: the obvious danger of mass killings and destruction.

A renewed assault-weapon ban is not a panacea. However, the NRA shouldn't continue to pretend that fast-firing, high-capacity assault weapons don't aid those who shoot en masse.

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